Ball target



Nov. 25, 1941.

T. ARGE 2,264, 127

BALL TARGET I Filed July 13, 1940 4 Sheets-Shet l INVENTOR. THORSTEINAges.

ATTORNEY.

Nov. 25, 1941 T. ARGE Nov. 25, 1941. TQARGE' 2,2 4,127

BALL TARGET Filed July 13, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR.

THORSTEIN ARGE.

ATTORNEY.

Nov. 25, 1941. I T. ARGE 2,264,127

BALL TARGET Filed Jul 15, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR.

THORSTEIN ARGE.

BY FIG. 5 4 (1 ATTORNEY.

Patented Nov. 25, 1941 umrso srarss PATENT orrica Thorstein Arge,Jackson Heights, N. Y. Application July 13, 1940, Serial No. 345,276

3 Claims.

The present invention relates to an amusement device, and moreparticularly, to a target game adapted for use with balls and otherresilient missiles to be thrown or otherwise projected thereat.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new amusementdevice whereby any number of persons can obtain healthful exercise anddiversion in the use of said device.

It is another object of this invention to pro-' vide a target amusementdevice for use with balls and other resilient missiles to indicate theaccuracy or a players aim, whereby the skill of the eye and the strengthand proficiency of the throwing arm can be appraised and improved.

It is afurther object of the invention to provide a novel targetamusement device having audible means for indicating a bulls-eye hitthereon.

It is also an object of the invention to incorporate in a ball targetgame means for retaining the ball when .a player fails to hit thetarget,

whereby accidental damage to surrounding objects can be eliminated.

My invention also contemplates the provision of a target amusementdevice wherein the field is adapted to return to a player balls andother resilient missiles projected thereat.

Furthermore, it is within the contemplation of the invention to providea novel target amusement device wherein the field is angularlydisplaceable whereby variations in the distance of 1 a player therefromcan be compensated.

Another object of my invention is to contribute an improved amusementdevice of Variable difficulty adapted for regulation in accordance withvariations in skill of the players whereby an amusement device isprovided of sufficient simplicity to be enjoyed by the sports dilettanteand yet capable of requiring such skill as to challenge the ability ofthe trained athlete.

My invention further provides a target game of simple and inexpensiveconstruction which can be furnished at low cost for use in homes,athletic and social clubs, amusement parks, carnivals and gymnasia.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent fromthe following description taken in conjunction with theaccompanying'drawings. in which:

Fig. 1 illustrates a side elevational view of my target amusementdevice;

Fig. 2.is a view of my improved device normal 'to the 'plane of thetarget disc;

Fig. 3 shows a bottom plan View of the target disc element of myimproved device;

disc with the lower part in cross section taken pressed by a ball orother thrown object. The

Fig. 4 depicts a side elevation of said target holding the bolt in placein the target disc is pivoted upon the frame and is angularlydisplaceable thereon, whereby the angle of the target field to thehorizontal can be adjusted. It is preferred to affix to the back of thetarget disc a quadrant having a scale and index for indicating thecorrect angle at which the disc should be placed to correspond with thedistance therefrom of a player. Means are provided for fixing the discin the adjusted position. I also prefer to employ a net or otherretaining device surrounding the disc for the purpose of collectingballs which fail to hit the target.

For the purpose of giving those skilled in the art a betterunderstanding of my invention, the following description of a preferredembodiment is given.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, reference character I designates a framehaving, preferably, a quadrangular base and made of castiron or othermaterial which can supply a firm, sturdy stand for my device. Frame Istands upon legs 2, which are preferably padded to prevent shifting, andupright members at thecorners of the base are curved inwardly to cometogether at the top of the frame. Thus, the front uprights 3 of theframe converge at the top and are joined by a, hinge bolt 4. Pivotedbetween them upon the bolt 4 is a bracket 5 which is attached to theback of a target disc 6. The bracket is provided'with a tapped bore 21adapted to admit a set screw for bracket.

The target disc 6 is preferably more than a foot in diameter, say aboutfourteen inches, and it is preferably a die casting or other materialwhich can afford a true, smooth plane surface free from any tendency toWarner crack. At approximately the center of the target disc, abulls-eye plunger 1 is provided. The bulls-eye is fiat-surfaced andpreferably of bright metal of the order of about two and one-half inchesin diameter, and it protrudes for a slight distance, say about of aninch, above the plane surface of the disc. As will be pointed out ingreater detail infra in connection with Figs. 3 and 4, the

bulls-eye plunger is adapted for movement perpendicular to the circulartarget disc and actuates a hammer 8 which is associated with a bell 9.

A quadrant I is afilxed to the back of the target disc near the topthereof, and this quadrant has for the center of its arc of curvaturethe hinge bolt 4. Attached to the quadrant is a scale H graduated innumbers corresponding to the distance in yards at which a player shouldstand from the device for the particular angle of the target disc. Therear uprights I2 of the frame converge upward and forward to cometogether at the top of the frame and, connect with the front uprights.The quadrant is slideably lo-- cated between the converging rearuprights at the top of the frame and is slotted to accommodate a bolt 28having a wing nut 13 adapted to- 7 fix the quadrant in any desiredposition with respect to the frame. An index pointer I4 is attached tothe frame at the point where the quadrant and scale pass therethrough,and said index pointer is adapted to indicate the graduated figures onthe scale to correspond with the angle of the target disc.

An annular edge I5 at the back of the target and preferably integraltherewith is pierced with a plurality of perforations, and the strandsof a net l6 are attached thereto. The other ends of the strands areattached to a circular rim I! of somewhat greater diameter than thetarget disc, say about twenty to about 24 inches, and this rim issupported at a distance of about four to about five inches above thedisc by angular brackets l8 which are curved away from the net andaround the edge of the target disc and attached to the back thereof byplates 29. 7

It will be observed that a floor can be provided in the frame I to forma cradle for the purpose of storing balls l9 when not in use. It is alsopreferred to provide two pointers at the middle of the front and back,respectively, of the bottom of the frame to serve as a guide for liningup my amusement device, so that the target squarely faces the player.

Referring now, more particularly, to Figs. 3 and 4, the detailedfeatures of my bell-actuating mechanism will be apparent. The bulls-eyeplunger 1 is located in a recess 2| at approximately the center of thetarget disc 6 and protrudes slightly above the surface of the disc. Therecess is slightly deeper than the thickness of the head of the plunger,say about 5 of an inch, so that the plunger has a possible inwardmovement of about the order of s of an inch.

The end of the plunger shank passes through a guide 22 behind the disc,and a pin 23 is passed through a hole in the end of the shank and servesas a stop to prevent the plunger from falling forward out of the recess.A light spring 24 is coiled around the shank of the plunger and iscompressed between the head of the plunger and theguide 22. The end ofthe plunger shank is in substantial contact with one arm of a tripper25, which is mounted on a pin 25. The other and heavier arm of thetripper is in substantial contact with an arm of the bell hammer 8. Thebell hammer is in the shape of a bell crank, and its other arm isadapted to tap the bell 9, which is preferably positioned near thebottom of the back of the target disc.

In the operation of my improved amusement device, a player adjusts themovable target disc by loosening the wing nut l3 and sliding thequadrant l0 up or down until the index pointer l4 indicates the figureon scale H corresponding to the distance in yards at which he intends tostand from the target. The wing nut is then securely fastened, and theplayer takes his position at the predetermined distance. He throws aball at the target, aiming at the bulls-eye in th approximate centerthereof. When the bulls-eye is struck, the plunger 1 is depressed in therecess 2|, compressing the spring 24 and moving the tripper 25 about thepin 26. The movement of the tripper in turn actuates the hammer 8, whichtaps the bell 9, providing an audible indication that a bulls-eye hithas been scored. When the ball rebounds from the bullseye head of theplunger, the spring 24 forces the plunger back into its originalposition. This recovery of the plunger permits the heavier arm of thetripper 25 to fall, returning the tripper to its original position incontact with the end of the plunger shank. Similarly, the hammer 8 alsoreturns by the gravitational force to its original position. Thus, theentire device is ready for operation again.

Whether the ball hits the bulls-eye or any other part of the targetdisc, the resilience of the ball and the predetermined angle with thehorizontal at which the disc has been adjusted combine to return theball to the hands of the player. It will be apparent that the slightprotrusion of the head of the bulls-eye plunger above the surface of thetarget disc or its slight depression therebelow can have no appreciableeffect upon the rebound of the ball. Thus, a device is provided whichcan be simply adjusted, depending upon the skill of the player, for anydistance at which said player may elect to stand, and a ball thrown byhim will return to his hands after hitting the target.

The net I6, which is stretched between the annular edge l5 behind thetarget disc and the rim l1 above the disc, serves as a basket to retainballs which fail to hit the target. The resilience of the balls is spentupon the yielding strands of the net, so that accidental damage tosurrounding objects by a bounding ball is eliminated. It will beobserved that the preferred mounting for the net which I have providedisclear of the periphery of the target disc, so that the total area of thetarget is unobstructed.

Various types of healthful, exciting and diverting games can be playedwith my improved target amusement device. An individual can employ thedevice for independent practice and amusement. By determining thedistance in yards at which he wishes to stand, the player can move thequadrant so that the corresponding number on the scale is opposite theindex pointer. In this manner, the angle necessary for the ball tobounce back to him after hitting the target is easily obtained, and itwill be observed that such provision for returning the ball to theplayer at any desired position is a feature of my novel device. At Fig.5, a floor plan for a court to be used with my device indicates aposition Z at which an individual player can stand at a distance aboutsix yards from the target and have the ball returned to him. Similarly,a group of players can successively take this position and competeagainst each other for an optimum score, as indicated by the sound.- ingof the bell when a bulls-eye hit is made.

By standing at an equal distance from the center line W-Z of the court,two players can play the game in direct opposition to each other. Thefirst player, at point X for example, throws the ball at the target, andhis opponent, say

at Y, catches the ball as its bounces from the target and in turn throwsit back at the target, from which it rebounds to the first player. Inlike manner, an experienced player can simulate the conditions of thisgame by standing first at position X and throwing the ball at the targetand then running to position Y to make the catch, and vice versa.

Although the present invention has been described in connection with apreferred embodiment thereof, it will be appreciated that certainvariations and modifications can be resorted to, as those skilled in theart will understand. For example, while it is preferred to graduate thescale on the quadrant to correspond with the height of the averageadult, it will be recognized that a scale which compensates for theheight of children of various ages can be as readily employed. This andother variations and modifications are considered to be within the scopeof the present specification and within the purview of the appendedclaims.

I claim:

1. A target amusement device comprising a frame, a field angularlydisplaceable upon said frame, a bulls-eye plunger located in said field,a bell associated with said plunger behind said field, means connectedwith the plunger for tapping the bell when the plunger is depressed,means for quickly returning said plunger and said tapping means to theiroriginal positions ready for operation again, means for adjusting theangular position of the field whereby the angle of the field can beregulated to correspond with the distance of a player from the field, ascale associated with said field and graduated in linear units forindicating the adjustment of the angular position to correspond withsaid distance, and means for fixing the field in such adjusted angularposition whereby a ball thrown by a player can be made to ring the belland return to the hands of the player and whereby a healthful anddiverting amusement device of variable difiiculty is provided.

2. A target amusement device comprising a frame, a field angularlydisplaceable upon said frame, a bulls-eye plunger located in said field,a bell associated with said plunger behind said field, means connectedwith the plunger for tapping the bell when the plunger is depressed,means for quickly returning said plunger and said tapping means to theiroriginal positions ready for operation again, means for adjusting theangular position of the field whereby the angle of the field can beregulated to correspond with the distance of a player from the field, ascale associated with said field and graduated in linear units forindicating the adjustment of the angular position to correspond withsaid distance, means for fixing the field in such adjusted angularposition whereby a ball thrown by a player can be made to ring the belland return to the hands of the player, and retaining means surroundingsaid field adapted to collect balls which fail to strike the field, thuseliminating accidental damage to surrounding objects, whereby ahealthful and diverting amusement device of variable diificulty isprovided.

3. A target amusement device comprising a frame, a fieldangularly'displaceable upon said frame, a bulls-eye plunger located insaid field, a bell associated with said plunger behind said field, meansconnected with the plunger for tapping the bell when the plunger isdepressed, resilient means for quickly returning said plunger to itsoriginal position, gravity-responsive means for returning said tappingmeans to its original position ready for operation again, pivot meansfor adjusting the angular position of the .field whereby the angle ofthe field can be regulated to correspond with the distance of a playerfrom the field, an arcuate scale behind said field and graduated inlinear units, an index pointer associated with said frame and saidarcuate scale for indicating the adjustment of the angular position ofthe field to correspond with said distance, frictional means for fixingthe field in such adjusted angular position wherebya ball thrown by aplayer can be made to ring the bell and return to the hands of theplayer, and a net surrounding said field adapted to collect balls whichfailto strike the field, thus eliminating accidental damage tosurrounding objects, whereby a healthful and diverting amusement deviceof variable difiiculty is provided.

'I 'IQRS'I'EIN ARGE.

